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Wolfram Archive

1999 International Snow Sculpture Championships

Published January 19, 1999

The Breckenridge international snow sculpture competition was held in Breckenridge, Colorado, from January 19 to 24, 1999. Teams from France, Italy, Russia, Lithuania, England, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, USA, and the Netherlands came together to compete in this ninth annual international event. The Wolfram Research-sponsored team was one of the 15 international teams that participated.

Each four-member team competed without the use of power tools, internal support structures, or colorants for a total of 65 intense hours, transforming 12-foot, 20-ton blocks of man-made snow into breathtaking sculptures.

Wolfram Research-sponsored team members Helaman Ferguson, Stan Wagon, Dan Schwalbe, and Tamas Nemeth constructed a 12-foot-high, Mathematica-designed Costa surface called Invisible Handshake, which refers to the complementary space of two hands coming together but not touching. Claire Ferguson was the team photographer.

Snow Sculpture Photos from the Wolfram Research Team

(Select the thumbnail of the image you wish to view.)